Like Houdin

If you are frequently using Google as your search engine you might be prompted with the image shown blow, the image is a man with a handcuff’s on in his hand, This is what I really like about Google, they shows different image on their Google banner each time you visit their site. One time they put Pacman and you can actually play it using your arrow keyboard.

Well!!! awhile ago, I was supposed to search for an image which I will use for my new blog entry, I was surprised to see this image when I open Google, because I know just exactly who’s this man is, he is Erik Weisz or better known as Harry Houdini, a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts. He was also a skeptic who set out to expose frauds purporting to be supernatural phenomena.

He was one of the most spectacular escape artists and one of the well known celebrity magicians in his time, he claimed that he only needs to see the tricks two or three times and he will surely know how it’s being done. He also claimed that he can take any blow to the body above the waist without injury, this also cause his death.

One student took the test and punched him hard in his stomach and causes abdominal bleeding which force him to go to the hospital, he was admitted in the hospital and confined in Room 401 and died after seven days after on October 31, 1926 at the age of 52.

Note:

Harry Houdini is not his real name, Harry is his nickname and Houdini is taken from the name of his magician mentor Robert Houdin and he just added the letter “I” in the last part of the name which means in French “Like Houdin”.

The only person who fooled Houdini in terms of Magic was Dai Vernon A.K.A The Professor A.K.A The father of Close up Magic. Houdini was at the top of his career as a celebrity magician when 14 years old Dai Vernon approached him and asked him if he can perform magic to him. Dai Vernon then performed the magic tricks called “The Ambitious Card” which popularized again by David Blaine on TV and he call it “The Fruit Look”.

The name of MTV’s Room 401 TV special was taken from the Room of the same number where Harry Houdini was confined before he died.

Houdini developed the Chinese Torture Cell trick fourteen years before he died and performed it numerous times.

March 24, 1874 to October 31, 1926

Thank you for reading.

D”N